KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida -- NASA technicians scrambled to repair the space shuttle after a plastic cover fell from one of Discovery's windows Tuesday afternoon and damaged at least one tile near its tail.
A spokeswoman for the space agency said the accident will not delay the launch of Discovery, currently scheduled for 3:50:53 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The launch would be the first since the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven in 2003.
It's unclear what caused the plastic cover to fall off the window, said spokeswoman Stephanie Stilson, NASA's vehicle manager for Discovery.
The cover had been taped to the window and was being used to protect it from scratches while technicians prepared the shuttle for launch. No technicians were working on the shuttle at the time of the accident, she said.
The cover damaged at least one thermal tile on the leading edge of an engine housing. Technicians replaced the entire damaged panel with a spare, according to Stilson.
The tiles are critical pieces of the shuttle because they prevent hot gases from destroying the shuttle as it re-enters Earth's atmosphere.
